The Truth in Print Vol. 23 Issue 4, May 2017
A Publication of the Valley church of Christ,
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364 (928-782-5058)
Website
Address ~ http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Food Laws ~ God’s or
Man’s Additions?
Should you think a brief article on this is not necessary today, then
you certainly do not understand how lightly so called religious people take
additions to God’s Word. Consider the following New
Testament scriptures that concern not only the binding of days but drink and
foods being either bound or forbidden.
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the
body is of Christ.
Note: That which is “blotted out”
is the ordinances of the Mosaic Law given only to the Jews. This first group of
passages teaches that no man could judge Christians and bind the food laws
under the Mosaic Covenant upon them.
Now consider Man’s commanding to abstain from meats by those who have
left the faith — these are hypocrites who speak lies with a conscience that
thinks nothing of going beyond the doctrine of Christ, the New Testament. Their
lies did not make foods “unclean.”
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in
the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of
them which believe and know the truth.
1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and
nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
1Ti 4:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and
prayer.
Catholicism and no meat on Friday
When I was young we all knew why we had “fish” at the cafeteria each
Friday; that’s changed a great deal to Catholics avoiding meat on the Fridays
of Lent. The Holy Spirit who guided the
apostles into “all truth” (Jo. 16:13) in the first century did not give such a
law! Read the above scriptures again. This displays how they make up their own
laws in violation of the New Testament. It makes no difference that they claim
such laws are to be viewed by Catholics as part of their “tradition” developed
within their church, while claiming to be guided by the Spirit, for Christ
never gave such laws!
It is like those we used to call “white sheets” (they didn’t carry much
clout) who would come through Yuma with the change of seasons as they sought
out a better climate for either the winter or the summer. A man and two women
came into my office one day years ago; he sat down in front of me while the
women stood and exclaimed “No meat, no sex, no sin!” Obviously he had no
respect for New Testament teaching regardless of his mystic viewpoint. I think
what he really issued forth was “no work” just give us some money. He was
offended by my telling him the Bible doesn’t teach your no meat requirement.
For a quick aside here consider the Catholic law of celibacy for
bishops. Just where in the world did that come from when scriptures say a
bishop must be the husband of one wife and have disciplined children (I Tim.
3:2, 4-5)? Their footnote in their bible on I Tim. 3:2 says: “married but once:
priestly celibacy as a law is of later ecclesiastical institution…” Yes, that “of latter ecclesiastical institution”
makes it of man not of God; nor do they understand that there is only one kind
of elder or bishop for Christ’s church, and their “kind” based on their human
decrees doesn’t fit these qualifications.
Is it really that hard to quickly see through the additions of human
traditions or subtractions from God’s New Testament? Or is it just the power,
muscle and influence that some have in society that makes the parallels hard to
speak out against? To see what is wrong with the way the Catholic hierarchy
explains their human traditions being equal to the written New Testament
scriptures go to “The Catholic rule of faith is not the Word of God” at —
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/catholicrule.htm
.
Seventh Day Adventists
Do you read in the New Testament where one who desires to be baptized
for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38, 22:16, Acts 8:29-39 etc.) had to
promise to abstain from such meats as pork, ham, shrimp, lobster and clams —
and from coffee and tea? They recognize these are right out of the “unclean” in
Old Testament (nailed to the cross mind you) but theirs is for health reasons.
Man, there’s a lot of good things to eat there! And being a Christian I know
they are to be shared and received with thanksgiving by those who believe and
know the truth; I know the truth. Islam’s “haram” (prohibited) foods include
pork along with coffee and tea by the most “devout”. Does that make them right
with God?
Mormons
Joseph Smith Jr.’s “Word of Wisdom” (considered as a prophecy from God)
forbids “hot drinks” and according to their present leaders specifically coffee
and tea as “hot drinks.” In 2012 the
church issued a clarification that the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine
and their health-code reference to 'hot drinks' does not go beyond tea or
coffee. Pepsi’s in! Mormons can have caffeine. When “man” claims the power of
prophecy and spiritual guidance from God to change laws then laws change for
those who accept those claimants as their leaders. Prophecy had ceased long
before Joseph Smith Jr. claimed such was a prophecy from God. Jesus said
“blindness” leads by binding human tradition as God’s law (Matt. 15: 8-9, 14).
What’s really going on here? It is claiming “inspiration” when prophecy
ceased after the Word was completed and given in the New Testament scriptures
(cf. I Cor. 13:8-10). So which church’s
“claim” is to be accepted as the right way? Each says they are the right one.
Confusing isn’t it until one learns the process of revelation is complete and
Christ’s Word is left in the Scriptures of the New Testament until the end of
time (2 Tim. 3:16-17; Jude 3). There is an outright refusal to even study the
process of God’s revelation of His Word and learn that New Testament is the
completed revealed written Word (“scripture” is that which is written by
inspiration and it did not come by man’s own will or interpretation, 2 Pet.
1:20-21) — and there is no gift of prophecy today —- no man can stand up and
say “God spoke to me and told me to tell you this!” Those claiming to “write”
by inspiration after the first century scriptures were completed are liars! The
process of “revelation” through the inspired apostles and prophets of the New
Testament is explained at “The Head and Authority of the Church” at
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com/articles/churchtwo.htm .
Judaism
As stated earlier the epistles stated man could not bind the food and
drink, nor the festivals or new moons or the Sabbaths of the Old Testament
regulations for Jews. The New Testament which is for all men came into effect
through Christ’s death on the Cross (Matt. 26:28; Mk. 16:15-16). Jewish
“religion” today consists of the Talmud (going back to the so called “oral
Torah” or traditions handed down by rabbis for centuries before Christ, some
going back to time of the Captivity in Babylon 600 years before Christ), the
Torah or the first five books of the Old Testament, and long standing
traditions and customs of Jews. At times all three of these are said to be
considered as commandments.
Jesus spoke of their traditions handed down in Mk. 7:1-13 stating that
they were experts at rejecting the commands of God in order to keep their
traditions; He said they made the word of God of no effect through their
traditions they, not God, had handed down.
While the food laws under the Mosaic Law are done away with (cf. Acts
10: 9-16; Gal. 2:11-21), they still adhere to certain laws of the Old Testament
knowing full well that they have no Levitical Priesthood through which to offer
the sacrifices once commanded and no Temple as the prescribed place for many
sacrifices. They were told in their own Law that the time of the New Testament
would come. Read Hebrews chapter eight where the writer quotes Jeremiah, and
note the ending in Heb. 8:13 where the ordinances of the Old Testament were
waxing old and decaying and would soon vanish away — their Priesthood and
Temple were finished in 70 AD with the destruction of the Temple by Titus.
The explanation for their continued practices is their blindness through
a love of the Old Covenant that was taken away (cf. Rom. 11:7-8; 2 Cor.
3:14-16; Col. 2:14-17), along with their hearts being tied to their own human
traditions. A so called “orthodox” Jew can’t keep the Old Law for its
ordinances through the Levitical Priesthood and Temple service do not exist
anymore! When Christ became our eternal High Priest the law changed (read Heb.
7:11-12). Moreover there are varying degrees to which their traditions are kept
for there are various “sects” of Jews.
When it comes to the Jewish food laws adherents to Judaism will quote
those items permitted (kosher) in Lev. 11 and those not permitted there. Along
with some of the actual laws from the Old Testament scriptures they keep
additions handed down to them by rabbis. For example the scripture in Ex. 23:19
says “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” They admit that
their rabbis added to that and say they must not eat any dairy and meat
together. Who decided that? Was it God or Man?
They go hog-wild with this — there’s no sin in the meat and cheese being
together in my son James’ favorite Western Burger with cheese.
Valley Church of Christ
2375 W. 8th Street, Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-5058 ~
http://yumavalleychurchofchrist.com
Sunday Services – Classes ~10:00;
Assembly 10:50 am; Evening: 6:00 pm.
Wednesday evening – 7:00 pm
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